Aerial advertising streamer



June 4, 1940. E. s. WIEMER AERIAL ADVERTISING STREAMER Filed Jan. 8, 1 954 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 v lnuenior Zahara 6- )filemer flllomey E. G. WIEMER June 4, 1940.

AERIAL ADVERTISING STREAMER Filed Jan. 8, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenior ZZrzzJ'Wzezzer Julie 1940. E. G. WIEMER AERIAL ADVERTISING STREALJR 4 Sheets-She et 4 Filed Jan. 8, 1934 By flllomey Patented June 4, 1340 umrso STATES AERIAL ADVERTISING S'IBEAMER Edward Gustav Wiemer, Lynbrook, N'. Y., assignmto John J. Gilson, In, Lynbrook, N. Y.

1 Application January 9.49:4, Serial .No. 705,192

9Claims. (01. 40-121) -.'The present invention relates to aerial banners adapted to be towed through the air.by a airplane or other, aerial vehicle.

The present invention contemplates improve- "5 ments in aerial banners according to which the body .of the banner which carries the display matter is composed of a plurality of interchangeable sections, each including a plurality of parallel fiat tapes adaptedto form stringer members l and a fabric letter, symbol, or the like extend- The invention also contemplates that the ban-' ner be provided with additional tapes to be inserted between selected letters, so that words, in

Q thesign may be spaced to facilitatereading the banner. C

' A furtherobject of the invention is to so design each of the component parts of a banner (of a predetermined height or width) that any part so is capable of easy and interchangeable assembly to such other part or parts as required to make up a banner having a desired display.

Other features and advantages will become H more readily apparent from the following de- 35 scription and drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views: l

Figure 1 is. a side elevational view illustrating 4 the complete streamer in flight, said streamer embodying the features and advantages of the present invention.

Figure 2-is an elevational view of a conventional airplane illustrating the manner in which 45 the towline is releasablyconnected with the release means .on the airplane.

Figure 3 is aneievational view of one of the interchangeable character or letter units on a larger scale than Figure 1.

50 Figure 4 is an elevational view of the front stretcher bar interposed between the bridle ropes and the leading letter unit.

Figure 5 is a perspective view ofa windsock.

Figure 6 is anenlarged fragmentary detail view 5 of a portion of one of the letter units or sections.

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional and elevational view of the. rear stretcher bar to which the windsocks are detachably and swiveliy connected. j

Figure 8 is a similar view of the front stretcher bar shown in Figure 4.

Figures 9 and 10 are horizontal sections taken on the planes'of the lines 99 and i0--l0 of Figures 8 and 6 respectively.

Figure 11 is a horizontal section on the plane 10 of the line ll- -ll of Figure 'I.

Figure 12 is a similar sectional view taken on the plane of the line l2--l2 of Figure 8.

Figure 13 is a detail view of a spacing strap.

Figure 14 is a detail elevational view of the i6 trip cord actuated release device for the towline.

An airplane I5 having a fuselage i6 is provided with a trip cable l'l passing over a guide pulley l8 and connected to a pivoted bail or yoke 24 carried on a bracket 20. The bracket has 20 a pivoted mounting 2| for a latch 22, which normally extends into the ball or yoke 24. and it is held against. accidental release by a spring 25. The latch also passes through a ring 23 carried at the front end of a towline i9. 25

The rear end of the towline I9 is connected to a ring 28 provided with ropes or cables 21 connected to rings 42 carried by a tubular stretcher bar 31. As shown in Figures 4, 8 and 9, these rings and bar are secured together by means of 30 canvas or'duck attaching bands 43 stitched, as indicated at 43 and 43 (Figures 8. and 9). Cotter pins 43. prevent slippage. The stretcher .bar 31 may be loaded with bhckshot or equivalent weighting elements 38 sustained in place by plugs 35 38 and 40, so as to aid in maintaining the stretcheinbar vertical.

The front stretcher-bar ,31 (as shown in Figures 4, 8 and 12) also carries a plurality of anchoring or attaching straps 4|, each strap being 40 formed out of a piece of fabric doubled about the basil, secured to the bar by a cotter pin M and stitched, as indicated at li and 41. These straps are in the same plane as the forwardly extending tabs"- They extend rearwardly for 45 the attachment of the body of the banner orstreamer described generally by the reference character 2'. s

Considering now the specific construction of the streamer, it will be observed that this is composed of a plurality of appropriately co-ordinated companion units or sections 3| as shown in Figures 3, 6 and 10. These sections are properly standardized for interchangeable assembling in order to permit the sign to be made up onthe ground and changed'from' time to time to promote .jintereatin the advertisement.

- tube 32 and a plurality of canvas tapes 83' are connectedthereto in horizontal parallel rela--- tionshi p with the same spacing as the attaching straps, 4i. As seen in Figure the tapes are mounted on the rod adjacent one end so that to the left of the rod tabs 34 are formed, said tabs being stitched, as indicated by the dotted lines ,M'Figure 6, and serving to carry a disconnectible coupling device such as a spur-equipped buckle 35. The symbol or letter is shown in Figure 3 as being preferably constructed from red bunting such as is used in flag construction, the same being stitched to the tapes 33 throughout the whole of their common extent, as indicated in the dotted lines 83 and 33'', Figure 6. The left-hand edge of the letter or symbol is in close proximity to'the rod 32. The upper and lower stringers are fixedly secured -to the rod 32 by cotter pins 33. as shown in Figure 6.

The forwardly extending tabs 34 on the first letter of the banner are readily attached to the straps4l carried by the leading spreader bar, and the placing of thespreader bar or rod 32 of the section adjacent the leading edge of the fabric letter or symbol assists in the parting of the air stream as the banner is drawn forwardly in flight. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the tapes II are of uniform length for each letter.

looseness to cause chafing or wear, no sagging of the fabric relative to the tapes, and a mini- The rear spreader bar 41 (shown inFigure 'l) is similar to the front spreader bar 31, and may trailing strap 49 provided with a link 50 and swiveled snap hook 5|. These straps are stitched,

as indicated at 49',and are secured in place by cotter pins 49"; The snap hooksii afford a convenient means for attaching cords to which the wind socks "are secured.

Where a banner is to convey a message consistingof more than oneword, the separation of these'wordsto facilitate reading is highly desirable. This. is readily accomplished in a banner made up from interchangeable sections by providing a requisite number of short straps 84 adapted for attachment tothe rear ends of the stringers of one section (as by buckles 55) and to the forwardly extendingtabs 34 of the sucv ceeding section.

In some casesit may be desirable to provide diagonal bracing of the banner. This, as shown The ends of the tapes 33 of a letter are readily at- The lettersare held flat against. the tapes, and there is no slippage or The rearv spreader bar 41 also carries near each end a aaoaeaa a Y in Figures} may be done b yropes 45 secured ll indicated at 40, to tabs 44 carried by the spreader bars.

It is to be understood that minor changes in shape, size, relative" proportions and materials may be resorted toin 'practicewithout departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of theinvention as now claimed. 7

.I claim: I

1. An aerial advertising device of the class described comprising a plurality of substantially duplicate letterunits separably connected together, each unit embodying a vertical spreader tube at one end, a plurality of spaced parallel tapes connected tov said tube, the forward ends of the tapes being formed at one end into tabs units each including a plurality of spaced substantially parallel stringer members provided with'disconnectible coupling means for securing corresponding stringers together and to which the material of the letter is secured, and a plurality of stringertmembers adapted for installation in said streamer to serve as spacing elements to separate selected units from each other to facilitate legibility.

V 3. An aerial advertising banner comprising a plurality of interchangeable sections, each section including a' plurality of spaced substantially parallel flat tapes adapted to form stringer members, a fabric letter, symbol, or the like extending across all the tapes and being stitched thereto throughout the whole of their common extent, the ends of the tapes extending therebeyond to provide means for securement of the mum opp rtunity for the fabric of the letters to j mum the ends the "mesmnding stringer members of adjacent sections, and disconnectible coupling means for securing the corresponding stringers together,

4..A.n aerial advertising banner comprising a plurality of interchangeable sections, each section including a plurality of spaced substantially parallel flat tapes adapted to form stringer members, a fabric letter, symbol, or the like extending across all the tapes and being stitched theretothroughout the whole of their common extent, the

ends of the tapes extending therebeyond to provide means for securement of the section to the ends of the correspondingstringer members of adjacent sections, a transversely extending spacer bar disposed adjacent the leading edge of the letter or symbol and secured to each of the tapes,

banner body havingat the front endthereof a spacer, bar, and a plurality of longitudinally. extending? letter carrying; stringers, the. stringers havingat their frontendsdevices for'readily disconnectibly connecting them to the rearwardly extending tabs.

6. A banner such as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of the forwardly and rearwardly extending tabs is composed of a piece of strong fabric wrapped about the stretcher bar and stitched at its ends, so that the tab is two ply.

7. A banner such as claimed in claim 5, wherein the tabs extend about the stretcher bar and are secured thereto by transverse pins passing through the bar and the material of the tabs.

8. In an aerial banner, a normally vertical spreader bar, a fabric strap doubled on itself to receive the rod, stitching passing through the double thickness of fabric to form a tab, and a transverse pin passing through the rod and fabric to hold the tab against longitudinal and rotary movement relative to the rod.

9. An aerial banner such as claimed in claim 8, wherein the doubled thickness of the strap also extends in a direction opposite the said tab to form a second tab, said second tab being stitched and a ring-like attaching device secured to the 10 second tab so that tension may be transferred from one tab to the other.

EDWARD GUSTAV WIEMER. 

